Title: Bignity website
Artist: van der Want / Letcher
Producer: Lloyd Ross / van der Want / Letcher
Studio: Shifty Studios
Label: Shifty / Sheer Sound

Reaffirming my belief that these two are our countries best songwriters by a long shot, Bignity finally graces our shelves some two years after it was recorded. More programmed and quite a bit darker overall than 'Low Riding', in spite of their conscious effort to make these songs more radio friendly. Bignity also has deeper and richer textures thanks to the beautiful string and horn arrangements. As always though, these arrangements hang strongly on the guitar and vocal interplay. Enormously melodic with interesting hooks that work their way into your grey matter very easily. But it's their lyrics, for me, that place Chris and Matthew in another league altogether. Matthew wears his heart on his sleeve - you can literally trace his path in life and relationship across the two albums (three including his first solo album) from harsh songs of complacency and chemical imbalance to a strangely enlightened resignation to home life. Chris remains cryptic, revealing all his repressed inner turmoil through a labyrinth of prose that require a degree in forensics to pick up all the clues. Even the lighter songs like Matthew's 'turning tables' have a cynical core. 'Deadends', 'Easy', 'Roses', 'Fugue' and 'Misheen' are still my favorites. This is essential listening.